The feast of the Gathering of the Apostles in Tiberias

18. July 2013 - 13:12

On Saturday, the 30th of June/13rd of July 2013, the feast of the Gathering of the Twelve Holy Apostles was celebrated at the Holy Monastery dedicated to them, near the western shore of the Tiberian sea, at the centre of the present-day city of Tiberias. This Monastery was discovered on the ruins of an older Monastery, dated to the years of St Helena. At the Church of this Monastery, His Beatitude Theophilos, Our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem officiated the divine Liturgy with the Very Reverend Kyriakos, Metropolitan of Nazareth, the Most Reverend Aristarchos, Archbishop of Constantina, Hegoumens of Monasteries in the vicinity of Tiberias, e.g. the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, Archimandrite f. Ilarion, the Holy Monastery of Cana in Galilee, Archimandrite f. Chrysostomos, presbyters of parishes in the region of Galilee and priest-deacons, with the pious participation of Russian-speaking and Arab-speaking faithful, hailing from Galilee and Accra, and amidst chants from the Choir of Accra-Ptolemais under Hegoumen Archimandrite f. Philotheos.

To the pious congregation, His Beatitude preached the Word of God in Greek. An excerpt of his speech is cited here below:

“…As is well known, this day’s feast is an extension of the great feast in memory of Peter and Paul, the Heads of the Apostles. And this because just as the Prophets in the Old Testament, so too the Holy Apostles in the New Testament make up the foundation stone of the Church of Christ, indeed the cornerstone mentioned in the teachings of the wise Paul: “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2, 20-21).

After the Divine Liturgy, the Hegoumen of the Holy Monastery, Archimandrite f. Timotheos received the guests at the Hegoumen’s quarters. The reception was followed by lunch serving fish from the Tiberian sea.